Thirteen plain boards are still idling in the attic. Still chaste. Still patiently waiting for the next whim of mine. The thirteenth board is too important for any old composition, though. It demands special attention in this silly world of ours. Special care, as it were. Thus I long decided not to rush it. Not to push my luck, which has served me so well for so many years. But the problem is now resolved in my mind: it will be black on both sides. Simple, and yet demanding. Painful. Even excruciating, given the dwindling number of boards yet to be brought to life. The only problem still to be resolved is when to walk up and carry the faithful board down. When to bring together my many trusted tools… Or when to execute it, if I may be allowed such a menacing word. Black on both sides for all times. An eternity.

Addendum I (August 15, 2008)

The thirteenth board is now finished. Could there be a more auspicious day for its execution than the Feast of the Assumption?! After all, Virgin Mary has been guarding my garden from the neighborhood witches for a while now (“The Mother of God,” August 3, 2008). A board that is black on both sides is thus most fitting at this particular moment. What better way to counter the dark forces that surround me?!

Addendum II (August 16, 2008)

To my surprise, my last painting is giving me unprecedented joy. I loved making it. And I love looking at it among all the other paintings on the main wall in my livingroom. It is impenetrable. Inscrutable. Indecipherable. And mysterious beyond compare. Although a few of my boards are black on one side, this is the first one that is black on both sides. Unfathomable to boot. The only problem I face at this moment is exceedingly simple: why not paint the remaining twelve boards exactly the same way?! Black on both sides, they would only require clever timing, which would be spread over many years. The Feast of the Assumption for the next twelve years, say. Completely indistinguishable, they would be differentiated by mere dates. Aaargh!